Lapse
by Attention Deficit
Summary: As Draco lies in the hospital between life and death, memories of his life with Harry play in his head. M/M. One-shot. EWE


Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series or any other media used in this work.

A.N: This piece of fiction is slightly based on Envy on the Coast's song by the same name. The band broke up and I listen to this song everytime I think too much about the sadness of that, which of course, created this plot bunny. Thank you for reading.

**Lapse**

The knife slammed in to Draco chest, knocking his very core off balance. A white, searing, blinding pain erupted in his chest making him unable to breath. All he could concentrate on was the spells that flew over head, how the colours seemed to dance and wither before his eyes.

'I guess my childhood thought was wrong,' Draco thought with a small smile. 'The world doesn't stop when you die.'

A bubble of blood broke out of his lips as his vision swam before refocusing on a pair of shinning, worried emerald eyes.

"Draco? Draco, stay with me!" Harry yelled at him. But Harry's face wouldn't stay still enough for Draco to stare at like he so desperately wanted to. A dying man, after all should be able to spend his last few minutes starring at his husband.

Harry's face disappeared.

x x x

Draco stared at his reflection as sweat ran down his forehead. The Malfoy crest stood proudly over his right breast, a deep purple in a forest of green robes, as the silver thread shone around the bottom hems. Wedding robes were supposed to represent one's family and did this one ever. But underneath the robes Draco had on a deep crimson shirt on to represent his future husband's family. The family he could not wait to expand.

"If you keep sweating like that, your robes will be ruined for the photos." A voice called out from behind him.

"Mother," Draco sighed, "Why must you worry about such things? I'm getting married. We didn't think I'd ever get to be here. Or at least want to be."

"Oh Darling, you know I want to flaunt your wedding pictures to everyone else. Let those assholes now that Malfoys can be happy with or without the approval of the wizarding world." Narcissa said with a snarl.

"Mum," Draco whispered as he turned around to face her. "I'm getting married today to the man I love." And with that a huge grin broke out over Draco's face, making him look very much like a Potter.

Narcissa smiled happily at her son. The days of the stone hearted Draco were long gone and all it took was a short Gryffindor. Sure, like any sane person she was extremely weary when this relationship started but now, with the ridiculous look that overtook her son's face, she could not be more of a prouder parent.

The door opened again as Blaise Zabini strutted in, grinning. "Well I've just seen your bride, and I must say Drake, he's radiant. Has about the same smile you are using now, of course he doesn't look like a children eating weirdo when he uses it."

"Blaise." Draco gave off as a warning, as the grin dropped of his face.

"What's the best man for?" Blaise said with another grin.

Draco rolled his eyes, and kissed his mother's cheek as she went to check on Harry.

"Want to run?" Blaise asked once the door was closed.

"Never." Draco answered defiantly.

"Good, I don't want to keep the promise I made to Harry."

"You didn't put stupid ideas in his head, did you?" Draco said with a look of pure disdain.

"Me? Never!"

"Damn it, Blaise! Tell me now."

"I only said that if you run I will personally destroy you." Blaise smirked. "Of course he replied with the fact that you would never run, and that I'd have to be after the Weasley's all got a chance at you." Blaise added quickly, seeing Draco was close to his limit.

"What did I do to deserve such a good friend?" Draco groaned.

"Pissed off some god, probably. But don't worry about that now; we have to go get you married!" Blaise said as he pulled Draco out to the ceremony.

x x x

'_Magical blade protruding from the chest cavity; possibly cursed with dark magic.'_

Lords, was he ever tired. All he wanted to do was sleep… sleep… slee-

'_Damn it, Malfoy. You will not leave me here. Not like this. Not now.'_

But that voice, he knew that voiced, he loved that voice.

'_Patient is seizing. Stand back, Potter. Definite curse, shit, it's in his blood.'_

The world disappeared.

x x x

"Magical sperm-egg recreation?" Draco asked incredulously.

"It makes perfect sense really. We live in a magical world, so well man cannot get pregnant that does not mean two men cannot have a child together." Harry said with a sweet smile.

"How is that even possible?" Draco asked.

"Well, you transform one of the sperm in to an egg, mind you that is so advanced ancient magic which has been outlawed in the past, but what the ministry doesn't know can't hurt them. Anyway, with the sperm and transformed egg we get a surrogate mother to hold the eggs and sperm and bring it to term and then we have a child with our DNA, hair, eyes, skin colour, and genetics." Harry replied with the same smile.

"So your need to save everyone and my bad temper will live on?" Draco said, still not able to wrap his head around this.

"Draco. A child, yours and mine, with our genetics, a child who is ours. A start on making us more of a complete family." Harry said as tears rose to his eyes.

Draco smiled and brushed Harry's cheek with his fingertips.

"Now this is more like a bonding spell with love magic, so we both have to be secure in our want for a child and love for each other. We need to find a surrogate too." Harry said quickly as to make sure he did not cry.

"Well, I do want a kid, a little brat to carry on the Malfoy-Potter name." Draco said as he wrapped his arms around Harry.

"Malfoy-Potter? It's Potter-Malfoy." Harry said with the loss of his smile.

Draco just chuckled and kissed his husband soundly.

x x x

'_Open the wound more; we have to see where the magic has bled in to.'_

It was so nice to not feel what they were doing, _so nice_. The smell though, did they have to do this with him semi conscious?

'_Patient is waking up, Abbott stay on top of the anesthetic!'_

Better...

x x x

"Daddy Draco? Oh, Papa Draco? No wait, it will be father, right? Stay true to the Malfoy roots and what not?" Ron asked in between laugh outbursts, as Harry tried to stalk out of the room only to be grabbed by Draco.

"Actually, _Ronald,_ since I am not my father and I married a man, Harry Potter no less, and all that's left of my family is my mother, I don't have to keep up to the old traditions you seem to be stuck too. Now, I know I can't stand you, but I'm only here for Harry. Who came over to tell his _best friend_ that he is having a child; something the two of you used to talk about when you were young. And you have so far only laughed at the fact that I will be the father of the child. So either you apologize to Harry, or I will not let you see my child or husband again, until you learn civility and respect for those you don't like. And so you know our child will refer to me as whatever it so pleases too." Draco said in a low respectable tone, before walking out the room to help Hermione in the kitchen with tea. He had made huge progress from taunting Ron and calling him Weasel only a few years ago.

"Harry, I… uh. I am sorry; I didn't mean to make fun... I'm just- Malfoy as a parent? It's just- just surprising. So I am sorry, Harry, and of course I am happy for you two, both." Ronald stumbled.

"Apology accepted, Ron. But we've been over this, his name is Draco. He calls you by your first name, so do it back to him." Harry said.

"But Harry, he calls me Ronald, no one does that but mum when she's angry. Just like you're Harry James. It's just wrong." Ron whined.

"Tell him you prefer Ron then. He's only doing it to be respectable; he doesn't know what you refer it with." Harry said as he rolled his eyes. The amount of fear Molly Weasley still could cause in her children was embarrassing sometimes.

"Sure he does, slimy ferret…" Ron mumbled.

"Ron. We're not kidding. You will not meet the child if you are not nice to him. Draco and I grew up in homes that were horrid; we will not raise a child in any sort of hostile environment." Harry said sternly.

"Mate, okay. Jeez, you've got the Malfoy glare down pat." Ron said, slightly intimidated.

"Harry James Potter-_Malfoy_." Harry said proudly as Ron rolled his eyes.

"Let's go get something to eat."

x x x

"Mr. Potter-Malfoy." A healer frowned as he took off his scrub cap. "We have removed the blade from his chest, but there was internal damage and some of the magic from the blade may have leaked in to him. We are waiting for test to come back, but in the mean time, all we can do is wait."

"Is he? Will he be?" Harry stuttered.

"He's alive, we don't know how bad the future effects will be, but for now he is stable." The healer said as he fiddled with his scrub cap, this was his least favourite part of the job, telling someone he truly didn't know.

"Do you have any idea on when we will know? If the damage is to-"Harry shuttered, as he tried not to cry.

"Some of the unspeakable are working on it to get it done. This is one of the few times you can be happy to be the Chosen One." The healer said with a kind smile.

"Thank you." Harry said as he straightened up, "I guess this will ruin you too, if the Chosen One's husband dies."

"Mr. Potter-Malfoy, Harry, this can kill my career for all I care but I am human, I want love to survive more than my job. If my job ends I can work in dermatology or whatever, you can't love anyone after your soul mate dies." The healer paused and blushed. "Forgive me, I am a huge romantic and follow the press too closely… I'll keep you posted."

The healer walked away, and Harry collapsed in to a chair as Ron and Hermione walked in to view.

x x x

The surrogate mother turned out to be a blond girl from Beauxbatons who was a friend of Draco's. She was willing to keep quiet, give up all rights to the child and be compliant to _most_ of the father's whims; all she wanted was her first year of University paid for so she could be a healer.

She was impregnated and the past eight and a half months were easy after she had told a pair of soon to be fathers to stuff all of their needless worries away. But from now until the baby was born she was told to stay in bed. Not an easy thing to do, when a certain baby kept kicking you in the bladder and the baby's fathers wanted to help to the point where the only way they could help was to leave you alone.

Luckily for her though, she only had to spend four days kept in bed before her water broke and she was rushed off to St. Mungo's. The doctor gave her medication right away to make sure she would be pain free during birth and so that she felt little connection to the baby after the birth.

The procedure was pretty normal, she was in labour for eight hours but barely felt it since with the mixture of medicine and magic the healers could tell by spells how things were moving. So as the surrogate, Elle, laid there and let her body do the work, two worried soon-to-be fathers waited outside her room, thinking of names and dreaming of everything that could go wrong in the next week.

"Love, the baby's going to be perfect, nothing will go wrong. Just relax, you're making me nervous." Draco said as he stroked Harry's cheek.

"I know, sorry. How about Adelaide?" Harry asked.

"I… I like it." Draco said as a small smile came over his face. "Why did we leave names till the last minute?"

"Because we can't agree on anything, love." Harry said as he kissed Draco's cheek.

"Mr. and Mr. Potter-Malfoy, you could come in now, she's asking for you." The doctor called out from the surrogate mother's room.

Draco and Harry rushed to the door of the room to find a pale and sweaty Elle holding a blue blanket with a little face peeking out from it. "Would you like to meet your son?" She asked.

Harry swept in and gently lifted their new son to his chest as he leaned against Draco's chest.

"A Potter and a Malfoy as great as any the world has ever seen. A male to pass on the families names." Draco whispered as he tried not to cry.

"Prior James Potter-Malfoy." Harry said simply as a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Prior James Potter-Malfoy." Draco repeated as he wrapped his arms around his husband and son.

"It's been seven hours! When are we going to know if he's alive or not!" Ron yelled out in frustration.

"Ron, please, there is no point in getting work up about it, if they have more to tell us they will." Hermione said gently as she continued to rub circles on Harry's back.

"Mione, you know I love you but I am not a calm person. Especially when one of my brother's lives is hanging in between life and de-" Ron huffed and continued pacing.

Harry lifted his head as a humourless smile came over his face. "Your brother, Ron?"

"Oh, Harry," Ron said dropping to his knees in front of his best friend. "You too have been together for twenty years, married for seventeen years and you have four kids together. I can't hate the man that has made you happier then I have ever seen. He is such a good father and husband to you guys, I can't hate him when he is… is…"

Ron blew out his breath as he tried to control his emotions.

"When did you stop hating him, then?" Harry asked simply.

"So, he reaches over the crib and pokes his brother's hand and says 'does this mean I can't have a puppy?' I die laughing but Draco just looks Prior in the eye and ask what kind of puppy he thought would be suitable for a Malfoy. I swear, Hermione, sometimes I think Lucius just takes over his son's body." Harry said as he rolled his eyes with a hint of amusement in them.

Hermione smiled back as she continued to help Harry make the food. "Draco can you go find Ron and then gather up all the children?" She asked.

Draco nodded and happily left the kitchen, even time with the Weasel was better than listening to Harry make fun of his heritage. His children needed to know what was proper for a Malfoy, especially one caring around a name that was all about family.

Draco heard the kids upstairs, with twelve year old Teddy Lupin keeping them for seriously doing any damage. Ron, on the other hand was not so easy to find. He wasn't in the study, near the telly, or in the attic. So Draco quickly put on his shoes and walked out to the shed, somewhere Ron went when he wanted to be alone, a trick learned from his father.

Draco knocked on the door to the shed and called out his name. Hearing nothing he opened it to find Ron leaning over the counter starring at photographs.

"Weasley, it's time for dinner." Draco said quietly.

When no acknowledgement came, he called out again, "Weasley? Ronald?"

With a huffed breath Ron turned around to face Draco with tears in his eyes.

"I can't do it again." He whispered brokenly.

"Do what again?" Draco answered quietly.

"Hermione, she… she's pregnant again and as much as I love Elloise… That last time, the miscarr-… and the blood, waking up to her in that pain. The hospital and the look on the Healer's face when she said the baby was…" Ron took a gasp of air. "I can't do it again, I can't support her the way she needs when I am so terrified that this time it will be her who dies."

Ron's body shuddered as the tears he had been holding back spilled over. Before Draco had knew what his body was doing he had his arms around Ron and was letting the man sob in to his shoulder.

"Ronald, Ron. You have to anyway. Every day since Prior was first shown to me as the tiny speck I wanted Harry and I to quit being Aurors. I wanted my son to have both of his parents to help him throughout his life, and I know Harry didn't want him to be placed in a home where he would be treated horribly like Harry was. But Harry told me that being an Auror help defined who he was as a person. He would not quit and therefore I did the only sensible thing in my eyes. I asked to be his partner. Not so that we could shag on stakeouts, but so that I could always be there to protect him when times got too tough.

"Together we've faced situations where only the closest partners would have survived. He needs me to protect him and support him as Hermione will need you. To you have to want to? No. Do you have to be unafraid? Hell no. You just have to be there for the person you love. No matter what your fear says to do." Draco exhaled lightly and gave Ron a tighter hug as he began to calm down.

After a few moments, Ron pulled away and wiped his face. "You know for a ferret, you are a really great guy."

"And despite popular belief, you don't have the emotional range of a teaspoon." Draco said with a small smile as he walked towards the door.

"Before we go, maybe we could make our loves happy? Maybe we could become friends since it doesn't seem like either of us will be leaving each other's lives anytime soon." Ron said with his hand stuck out.

Draco smiled a true smile and grasped Ron's hand. "Absolutely. You know, I have never really understood the whole Malfoy-Weasley feud anyway."

"Really? My dad always said it all started over the last treacle tart." Ron said with a grin.

"A five hundred year old blood feud over a piece of dessert? And I made fun of other's family for being so plebian." Draco said incredulously.

Ron started to chuckle and by the time the men reached the back door they were both loudly laughing at sheer stupidity.

It had been eight hours and twenty-two minutes since the last time a doctor had any real news on Draco and Harry was at his wits end.

"I have to do something!" He exclaimed as he watched another nurse walk by. "Where are Prior, Adelaide, Avery and Damien?"

"Harry, mate," Ron said soothingly. "There with mum and dad, they don't need to see you like this it will only make them upset. There is no need worrying your children if there is no information to give yet. Anyway, you will want to be here when there is news, you would never forgive yourself if you left now."

Hearing the truth behind Ron's words, Harry stumbled in to his arms and let himself finally cry.

"Come on Dad!" Prior called out excitedly as he wheeled his trolley towards platform nine and three quarters. Draco moved quickly behind his son, holding Avery and Adelaide's hand with Harry walking next to him carrying Damien.

The five year old in Harry's arms had been a spur of the moment decision. The couple had wanted another one yet they were unsure if it was the best idea. Damien Leo Potter-Malfoy though, was not favoured above the rest or picked on more than the others. He was a child that carried around the Potter's impulsiveness and both sides need to impress people. He had blond wavy hair and green eyes that were a shade deeper than Harry's. He looked to be an even mixture of the two parents with Harry's nose and chin with Draco's cheekbones and body shape. When he grew up he would be one of the most sought after boys.

Avery Orion Potter-Malfoy turned out to be the child to get along the best with his siblings and the neighbourhood kids. He was shy but curious in nature; he looked up to his sister and had patients for his brothers' impulses. At six years old, he had this calming ability to make people feel at ease but also the ability to look at people like he could see in to their soul, like Dumbledore used too. He was the spitting image of Harry, except for his eyes which were the silvery colour of Draco's.

Adelaide Narcissa Potter-Malfoy was able to tend to people around her without putting everyone before herself. She at nine, was already aware when something was amiss, having the natural instincts that neither father could say came from them. She had Draco's high cheekbones and pointy chin along with his platinum hair but her eyes were a mixture of her fathers' with a grey-green look.

Prior James Potter-Malfoy was the child Draco was when he was young, easily excitable, quick tempered and ready to question everything. He was the type of boy that had to try everything at least once and if he liked it enough, he wanted to be the best at it. He had Harry's unruly black hair and green eyes with Draco's bone structure. Yet there was a passion in Prior that beat out both of his fathers. The boy had an insatiable love of life and everything that came along with it. Something Harry swore was a part of Fred Weasley's spirit

This passion and curiosity left two harried parents following behind an overly excited son as he raced himself through the barrier. Harry and Draco barely had time to hug their son goodbye before he was running to catch up with Elloise and get the on the train.

"Don't worry, Draco. Your boy will be home soon enough." Harry said gently as he clasped Draco's free hand. "Now let's go home and wait for the news of what damage the new Gryffindor has done."

"Now Harry-"

"Draco, you have two sons and a daughter here who will be in Slytherin, can't you allow me the happiness of having at least one of my children in the house of the lion." Harry interrupted with a roll of his eyes.

"Only if you promise to make it up to me later." Draco said with a smirk on his face, a smirk that was all Potter.

"Mr. Potter-Malfoy," The healer called as he stepped in to the waiting room.

"Yes?" Harry replied hastily.

"The surgery is now finished and your husband is still in a hazy area. The surgery was successful but the blade that went into his abdomen left behind a curse to slowly stop his heart over twenty-four hours. We tried our best to remove it all but now there are fifteen more hours to wait to see if the unspeakables got it all." The healer said softly.

"May I… May I see him?" Harry gasped out, fighting tears again.

The office door slammed shut as Harry and Draco walked out.

"You know I love you Harry but this one is just too dangerous. We have a family, Harry. Ron and Hermione can't take care of our kids along with their own; neither can Ginny and Oliver, Luna and Rolf or Blaise and Neville. None of their godparents have that many hands. We need to decline this one." Draco tried to take the pleading out of his voice.

"I need you to think of your family for once! I need you to let your saving people thing go. You have three beautiful children at home, that you will never be able to save if something happens to us. Harry please!"

"I can't do that, Draco. I want to do this; we've been trying to get these guys for five years! If you want to stay home, then I won't stop you, but I can't." Harry replied in a quiet voice.

"And you know I can't do that. I can't lose you. I would be no good to our children without you." Draco replied as he willed his tears away.

"I love you." Harry whispered before he leaned in to kiss Draco before the mission began.

"How are you always right?" Harry asked as he stroked the blond hair away from Draco's way too pale face. "You said I should have let someone else do it, you had an idea that something would happen and again you were right. Just like you were right about Prior getting in to Slytherin along with Elloise, and the way Hermione was pregnant again and that Adelaide and Avery were both destined for Slytherin, and how naming a child Leo is condemning him to Gryffindor. You always knew what to do. And know you are here and I am lost." Harry ended in a whisper.

He stroked his husband's cheek and tried not to let the slow moving time take away his sanity.

The next fifteen hours ticked by slowly. Draco floated in and out of consciousness leaving Harry to sit there waiting for any sign that his husband was not going to die.

Ron and Hermione had gone back to the Burrow to help Molly and Arthur put the kids to bed and get some sleep themselves when the clock told them they had seven hours left. They would be back in the morning to see what the verdict on Draco's life was.

So Harry stayed up all night waiting for three o'clock in the morning to come around, cursing midnight raids, cursing his stubborn and impulsiveness, cursing his need to save people. And trying not to blame himself for the blade Draco took for him.

Draco had always said that he would protect Harry no matter what happened and this time he had done what Harry had sworn no one would ever do for him again, he sacrificed himself.

It was these negative thoughts and a lack of food or sleep that led Harry to doze off while his hands still clutched at Draco's hand.

"Harry…Harry." A voice called out from the darkness. All the lights in the room where off except for faint glow coming from the hallway.

"Harry, can you stop cutting off the circulation to my hand?" Draco asked as he tried to shake his husband awake.

Harry's head snapped up at the sound. "Draco!" He exclaimed as he flung his arms around the man's neck.

"What time is it?' He asked suddenly.

"About four thirty in the morning, I woke to your damn snoring again Potter-Malfoy and I must say mmmph." The rest of Draco's sentence was muffled by Harry's lips on Draco's.

"You're alive." Harry said as he broke the kiss. "You… you fool! How dare you jump in front of that blade for me! Of all the stupid, impulsive things to-"

"Harry," Draco interrupted. "We have already been through this. You would be able to get up again and find the strength to take care of the kids and help Ron and Hermione with theirs, but I wouldn't. I am not used to having people I love ripped away from me; I don't know how to survive. The war made you a better person; stronger, more determined. It made me become fearful of what the future holds. I am nothing without you."

Harry felt a tear roll down his cheek as all of his emotions came back.

"We're quitting Draco. Today as soon as the sun rises I will send an owl to Kingsley and tell him we are done. Never again do I want to face the world without the thought of seeing you smile." Harry whispered.

"So, it was a magical blade then?" Draco asked and then was silent for a moment before asking, "Are you saying all these years of me wanting you to quit and all I had to do was almost die? Why didn't someone tell me earlier?"

Harry huffed and started to speak but Draco silenced him with a finger to Harry's lips. "I love you, Harry. Now climb in besides me and let me go back to sleep."

And Harry for once followed his husbands instructions.


End file.
